CARLSBAD, Calif. —
The Carlsbad City Council voted Saturday to keep its public areas closed for the time being. The council will hold a special meeting Friday to review plans for a “phased reopening” of the areas.
The specific areas to be discussed at Friday’s meeting include Carlsbad parks and trails, a city-owned golf course, and a three-quarter-of-a-mile stretch of beach north of Oak Avenue, according to the city council.
Six miles of Carlsbad’s coastline are controlled by California State Parks and remain closed. City officials have said they would like to coordinate to open all Carlsbad beached at the same time.
On Friday, the County of San Diego announced it was lifting restrictions of going into the ocean starting Monday. County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the county is amending the public health order to allow people to go into the ocean starting Monday morning. This means people can kayak, swim, and surf.
“[You] can’t sit, lay down, play volleyball, or engage in group activities,” said Fletcher.
The county has left it up to individual cities and state parks to decide whether to open their beaches.
In a joint statement on Friday, the cities of Del Mar and Solana beach announced they would not reopen their beaches on Monday like other parts of San Diego County.
Also on Friday, county officials reported 183 new cases of COVID-19 -- the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began -- and two new deaths. This brings the county totals to 2,826 cases and 102 deaths. The numbers as of Saturday were 2,943 cases with 111 deaths.
